Teen Jobs In The 2000s

Words: 1325
Pages: 6

Since humans created jobs we have been changing them, especially teen jobs. In the more recent year’s teens jobs have changed quicker than ever. The differences between teen jobs in the 1900s and teen jobs in the 2000s vary drastically. Pay is different, the types of jobs are different, the skills teens learn, where the money they earn goes and even the percentage of teens with jobs has changed. The frequent changes in teen jobs have also affected the things around them. The types of jobs that teens in America get in the 2000s are completely different from those that they got in the early to mid-1900s. Nowadays you will see teens working at fast food places, clothing stores, Wal-Marts and other retail jobs. While in the late 1900s this was …show more content…
Jobs these days are teaching teens things like using a register and how to prepare fast food items. Whereas, the jobs teens used to get would teach things that are much more useful in the real world. In “Working at Mcdonald’s” by Amitai Etzioni he explains “Here the youngsters are to learn how sweet are the fruits of labor and self-discipline (papers are delivered early in the morning, rain or shine), and the ways of trade (if you price your lemonade too high or too low . . .)'” as he speaks of the older times. The skills teens are learning today may not be useful for them later in life. Whereas, the skills teens used to learn could be a lot more helpful for when they decide to set out on their own and make a life for …show more content…
While, “Across the country, only 17 out of every 100 high school students have jobs.” (Gandel), these jobs can have negative impacts on a student's everyday life, especially when it comes to school. According to Etzioni “ But in fact, these jobs undermine school attendance and involvement, impart few skills that will be useful in later life, and simultaneously skew the values of teenagers especially their ideas about the worth of a dollar.”. Not only are the skills they learn nearly useless, but they can keep students from attending school. In the essay Etzioni mentions that these jobs can cause students to skip out on school and homework in order to earn more money. If teens think that it is more important to get money to blow on whatever they feel like than it is to get an education then these jobs bring up a huge issue that jobs a couple of decades ago